CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD //

If I had a dollar for all the early mornings of my childhood that consisted of these three parts: cinnamon toast, slathered in salted butter, dusted with enough additional cinnamon sugar so the coating looked like a shag carpet, I'd be a millionaire.

Blackbird Bakery's Cinnamon Raisin Bread //

3 ¼ cups Blackbird Bakery Bread & Pizza Blend

1 1/4 cups + 3 tablespoons warm water

1/3 cup sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg ~ ¼ cup

1 large egg white ~ 3 tablespoons

For the cinnamon sugar filling:

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (we use the Vietnamese variety)

1/3 cup raisins

Melted butter or ghee for greasing.

Brush a 9” x 4.5” bread pan with either the melted butter or the melted shortening. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the Bread & Pizza Blend.

In a tall measuring cup, combine the water, yeast and sugar and mix until the yeast dissolves (the water should be warm enough out of the tap to dissolve the sugar and the yeast within a minute). Set aside and allow the yeast to activate for 5-10 minutes. The water should have a thick frothy head of yeast on it. Whisk in the vegetable oil and salt.

Pour the yeast mixture into the Bread & Pizza Blend followed by the whole egg and egg white being sure to scrape out any salt or sugar that settled to the bottom. Mix on low until you can no longer see any dry ingredients, then increase the speed to high and mix for a couple of minutes more. The dough should be thick and tacky to the touch.

Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and retrieving the paddle, being sure to add any extra dough that is caught in the paddle to the rest of the dough. Cover the bowl for 15 minutes to rise.

While the dough is rising, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and raisins; toss lightly to combine.

Dust your counter with glutinous rice flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead the dough until smooth. Flatten the dough into a large rectangle and then drizzle the cinnamon sugar filling over the top of the dough. Using a pastry scraper or bench knife, fold the edges of the dough up over the filling and then knead until the smooth. The filling will jump out any chance it gets, so be sure to have extra glutinous rice flour handy to make your work easy and less frustrating. Shape into a football and place the dough, seam-side-down, into the pan. Brush the top of the dough with additional melted butter or ghee.

Place the bread, uncovered, on top of the warm stove to rise for 15 minutes.

Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 22 minutes.

When the bread is done baking, immediately transfer for to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Store in an airtight container or bag on the counter for up to a week after the bread has cooled completely. (If you put the bread in a bag or container before it has cooled, you increase the risk of molding).